Wendy Harper/MDN Holly Hoffman, motivational speaker, stands on stage at Minot State University’s Ann Nicole Nelson Hall Wednesday, Oct. 15, motivating those in the audience to never give up.

Motivational speaker Holly Hoffman delivered to a Minot audience a deeply personal and unfiltered message about how challenge, fear and adversity can either break a person — or build one.

Hoffman spoke during the Minot Area Chamber EDC Women Connect Committee’s fall signature event held Wednesday, Oct. 15.

The event at Minot State University’s Ann Nicole Nelson Hall welcomed attendees from across the region. Organizers emphasized the program was open to everyone, giving the public a chance to hear Hoffman’s story, “Never Give Up-The Survivor Way,” a story of resilience from her time on a reality show and beyond.

“We cannot just sit and wait for those opportunities to come to us,” Hoffman said. “In fact, we need to jump as quickly to opportunities in our lives as we sometimes do to conclusions.”

She paused and looked across the room saying, “How many of you have stress in your life? If you did not raise your hand, take your two fingers to feel your pulse.”

Hoffman shared that she once almost talked herself out of pursuing something life changing, using her own hesitation as a warning.

“We tell ourselves we can’t. We say, ‘I’m not going to apply for that job promotion because I’ll never get it.’ We’ve already got ourselves convinced before we even try,” she said.

She credited what she calls her circle — the people who push you forward when doubt creeps in.

“Your circle doesn’t have to be big, but your circle has to be supportive,” she said.

She spoke openly about a moment of weakness during her Survivor journey on the reality competition show when exhaustion left her ready to quit.

“I walked up to the producer and I said, ‘I’m done,'” she said.

It was then she turned to former Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson, who was competing alongside her that season.

“Fatigue makes cowards of us all,” he told her — a quote she said still applies to everyday life. Then she looked at the audience and asked, “Don’t you just get exhausted?”

“Perhaps we all need to start living our lives like the cameras were rolling, 24/7. Be more aware of our words and our actions,” Hoffman said.

Her message continued to build from mistakes toward perseverance.

“A setback is a setup for a comeback,” she said. “But you have to make that choice of how you’re going to turn adversity into strength.”

In one of the most personal moments of her talk, Hoffman described a key moment later in her journey.

“When your confidence goes up, your competence goes up,” she said, referencing a moment when she was reminded of how close she had come to giving up.

“One of the most important things you will ever have inside… is relationships with people.” She added, “You don’t build business, you build people. And people build businesses. It’s all about the people.”

Emotion caught in her voice as she spoke about sitting alone again, this time not in defeat, but in clarity.

“I’m not the true survivor. My mom is,” she said, sharing that she grew up in an abusive home. “I would sit in my room with the door tightly closed, rolled up into a ball, just praying for it to stop.”

Hoffman closed with the same words she once needed to hear herself.

“Never let fear decide your fate,” she said. “The one thing about an opportunity is it’s never lost. Someone will always take the one that you didn’t.”

Then she looked out across the room and said, slowly and clearly, “We need you. We really, really need you.”